PRO BASKETBALL

PRO BASKETBALL; Sonics Go One Up on Rockets

Published: May 11, 1993

SEATTLE, May 10—
Ricky Pierce scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half and Seattle held Houston scoreless for the final 3 minutes 40 seconds tonight as the SuperSonics beat the Rockets, 99-90, in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals.

Eddie Johnson came off the bench to add 20 points for the Sonics, whose bench outscored Houston's by 29-12. Hakeem Olajuwon scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had 5 blocks for Houston.

"We wanted to jump on them in the third quarter, and I wanted to come out aggressively offensively," said Pierce, an 11-year veteran who had 13 points in the third quarter.

The Rockets made only four of 16 shots from the field in the fourth quarter but still made a strong run at the Sonics after Seattle took a 91-77 lead with 7:07 left.

The Rockets got back into the game with a 13-2 run capped by Otis Thorpe's tip-in and free throw with 3:40 left. That made it 93-90, but Houston was unable to score again. Gary Payton's two layups and Derrick McKey's two free throws provided Seattle with its final six points.

Houston had their chances at the end, but Kenny Smith was called for a critical charging foul with 1:03 left and he also missed a 21-footer.

"Seattle's defense scrambles so much and it makes it so difficult to get it inside that you have to hit the open 3-pointer," Houston Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "We had two wide open 3s and missed both. We make one and that changes the complexion of the game."